Stefania Bandiera cited Capucine as this collection’s muse, and her models wore mussed coiffures and cat-eye mascara as an homage to the aristocratically cheekboned French heartbreaker. Some of the looks, especially in the second half of the show, you could easily imagine Capucine getting into: a rib-knit blue coat over a belted pale blue bibbed shirtdress, or a blue wool peacoat over a bed-edged, deepish-V sweater paired with a wide-leg pant. It’s hard to argue with a finely cut camel coat with a printed leopard collar, and a look that paired a rounded-lapelled suede mid-length trench and black rib-knit with a caramel suede mid-length skirt and a patent boot was equally fault-resistant.

When Bandiera edged toward more decorated or déshabillé looks (sometimes both), it quickly became less credible that a woman with either the intuitive cool of Capucine or any contemporary perspective other than provincial provocatif would readily cast herself in them. Just one example was an otherwise perfectly fine pair of roomy khaki pants and a coat that was half black suede, half aubergine knit that came teamed with a pale cardigan way, way too unbuttoned. There were other egregious examples. Italy’s gender politics are pretty culturally specific to Italy—everywhere is different and you have to respect that difference—but if a brand wants to resonate beyond its own shores, it should consider the bigger picture.